Search This Blog

Pages

The Rocky Wall of Lauterbrunnen

Surrounded by towering rock faces and snow capped mountain peaks, Lauterbrunnen has one of the most dramatic settings in the Bernese Oberland. Free falling Staubbach Waterfall rushes down nearly 300 meters off the face of the cliff to the valley below. It seems to disappear behind a group of chalets on main street leaving a trail of wet spray. Staubbach is only one of 72 other waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe traveled to Lauterbrunnen in 1779 and was impressed by what he saw, enough to write a poem ¨Spirit Song over the Waters¨. Here´s an excerpt from the poem:“Down from the loftyRocky wallStreams the bright flood,Then spreadeth gentlyIn cloudy billowsO'er the smooth rock...”

Lauterbrunnen Valley

To get a good view of the valley, take the train to Wengen, an alpine village above Lauterbrunnen with an elevation of 1,274 meters (4,180 ft.).

Some visitors to Lauterbrunnen have expressed their disappointment with the low volume of water flowing down the rock face. I did notice that in late afternoon, the Staubbach was reduced to a trickle. But even in November before snowfall, I was fortunate to see the falls gushing down the cliffside early in the day. If the main purpose of your visit is to see Staubbach Falls at its peak, it´s best to schedule your visit in the spring when snow melts and the waterfall will be at optimum flow. Check Swiss Tourism bureau for more information about Lauterbrunnen. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/home.html

All that water flowing down from the mountains leave a picturesque green valley.

Blue sky, nothing but blue sky. I was so lucky that good weather followed me throughout my trip in the Bernese Oberland region.

How to get there:

Take the train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen. Staubbach Falls is a 5-minute walk from the train station. The roundtrip ticket I purchased for 28 Swiss francs included a train ride to Wengen where I took the picture of the valley. *****Images by TravelswithCharie

Popular posts from this blog

Thatched-roof cottages
Twenty minutes south of Limerick City on the River Maigue is Ireland's prettiest village, Adare. It's a small town, pleasantly quiet even in mid July, at the height of the tourist season. There was a celebrity classic golf tournament going on at the exclusive Adare Manor Golf Course during my visit. But thankfully, this did not bring in the crowds.

Augustinian Priory It's an easy stroll from the Augustinian Priory to Bill Chawke's Lounge Bar on the opposite end of town. Centuries old thatched roof cottages, medieval monasteries, vine covered townhouses, the Adare Town Park and the quintessential Irish pubs line Main Street. There's no need to rush. All these places invite visitors to linger and savor the moment.

At Bill Chawke's the kegs are full and ready to be served. But before saying your first "sláinte!" (to your health), consider walking the extra mile or so to the ruins of Desmond Castle, north of Adare Manor. It dates bac…

At Greenhills indoor flea market, you will find santos (religious statues), costume jewelry, authentic South Seas pearls, clothes, shoes, knock off branded handbags, Oriental furnishings, Christmas decorations, paintings, souvenirs and linens. There are stalls upon stalls of goods and you walk down narrow aisles teeming with shoppers who are at this moment doing their Christmas shopping.

I was particulary interested in new costume jewelry trends and there are a variety of stones and glass beads on display. The latest is a headband made of shiny glass beads, a unique party accessory. I was pleased to find wood carvings and paintings at much more reasonable prices than elsewhere in the city, except in Divisoria which I have yet to check out.

Weekends and holidays are the worst times to come though you can shop their night market during the holidays. Crowds notwithstanding, I plan to spend more time shopping for home furnishings at Greenhills after the holidays.

Carlos "Botong" Francisco, FILIPINO STRUGGLES THROUGH HISTORYOil on canvas, 1964, (located at ManilaCity Hall) A National Cultural Treasure owned by the City of ManilaCarlos Botong Francisco: A Nation Imagined is the latest art installation at the AyalaMuseum in Makati to celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of Carlos “Botong” Francisco (1912-1969), a Philippine National Artist. Forty paintings and lithographs were culled from various private collections to form this exhibition. Of the large scale paintings on display, Maria Makiling and Fiesta, both oil on canvas, are representative of the indigenous genre which Botong loved to portray. In Maria Makiling, Botong reveals a relaxed and recumbent woman with her legs dangling in the cool waters of the stream and playing with an exotic deer by her side. Fiesta is about how the Filipino people gather to celebrate an important occasion, be that a religious feast or a wedding. The central figures are dancing the tinikling, a po…